Rise of the Marauders
by evilabed
Summary: 6th year AU starting at the Battle at the Ministry. Neville is the BWL. When Voldemort arrives at the Ministry Dumbledore is nowhere to be found, leaving two fugitives and a 5th year to fight him on their own.
1. Chapter 1

**Rise of the Marauders**

Chapter 1

Harry quickly dove to the side, landing hard as he narrowly avoiding a Killing Curse that had been aimed at his head before replying with a trio of blasting curses, cursing as his opponent nonchalantly blocked all three curses and sent a pair back at him without even a glance in his direction. He dodged the first one and raised a shield against the second, grunting in pain as it broke through. Luckily his shield had taken weakened it enough so that it only left a shallow gash down his side. He panted heavily as he readied himself for the next volley, only to find it not forthcoming. Instead the dark lord stood across from him, his wand held lazily in his right hand as he surveyed the three men facing him.

"Well, I must say I am impressed," Voldemort said, studying them closely as they tried to regain their breath. "Not many wizards would have the courage to face me in such a manner. Even fewer have the skill. You could all go far if you chose to join me instead of pursuing this foolishness." He gestured towards Remus, adopting a benevolent tone, "Lupin, with my help you could become the most powerful werewolf in the world and gain your revenge against Greyback for turning you into to monster you are today," he offered, causing Remus to snarl in response. "No? What of you, Black? Are you sick of hiding yet? Sick of fighting for people who would want nothing more than to send you to the Dementors?" He gestured behind him towards the unconscious form of Bellatrix Lestrange, "You've already defeated my second in command. A man with your talent could go far amongst-"

Sirius cut him off, "Stick a cork in it Snake Lips, there is nothing you can say that would ever make me join you," he said causing Harry to grin in spite of the seriousness of their situation.

His grin was short lived however as the Dark Lord turned his attention towards him, causing his pulse to race as he spoke, "And what of you, young Potter? I never thought I would see the day when a Fifth year would have the courage to fight me. Even Longbottom over there ran like a coward the moment he had a chance," he said, causing Harry to look over his shoulder to where Neville sat, partially hidden behind the remains of the destroyed fountain. Harry's hope of him joining the fight faded as he watched the famous Boy-Who-Lived cower in agony at the very presence of his enemy, his wand forgotten at his side. "But not only did you join the fight willingly, you managed to survive. With the proper training you could become one of the greatest wizards of all time and rule the world at my side."

Harry opened his mouth to respond, but no noise came out. Swallowing heavily he tried again, "Join you?" he asked angrily, "You want me to join you? You killed my parents you stupid son of a bitch, I'd rather die than join you."

"I'm sure that can be arranged boy," snarled Voldemort as he raised his wand, causing each of the Marauder's to prepare themselves for a barrage of curses that never came. Instead Voldemort twirled his wand around his head, causing the fires scattered throughout the Ministry atrium to grow. Harry shot a worried look at his guardians, one he found mirrored in their eyes. They could only watch in horror as the fires began to flow towards the Dark Lord, coalescing at his feet into a snake made of pure flame.

Harry felt himself slowly edging backwards as his mind fought to think up a spell to fight the flaming monstrosity, but nothing he could think of would stand a chance. While he was advanced for his age, he was still only fifteen. The only spell above NEWT level he knew was the Patronus charm and he doubted any magic commonly taught to school children would stop that beast. He looked over at Moony and Padfoot, but both of them seemed to be having a similar dilemma. A massive Transfiguration was what they needed to fight this thing, but sadly it had been his father that had been the Transfiguration master in the group. While the other two Marauder's had been adept at Transfiguration, he seriously doubted either of them were up to creating something capable of fighting the monstrosity facing them. He could feel the panic clawing at the edge of his mind as Voldemort seemed to come to the same conclusion.

"Regretting your words now boy or would you still rather die than join me?" he asked, as he slowly advanced on the three Marauders, reveling in his triumph. "And what of you two? Do you regret your decisions? You could have been the greatest of my followers, yet instead you insist on giving your lives for those who would see you destroyed," he said, laughing as the two older Marauders launched spells at him and his beast. Neither seemed to have any effect as the flaming serpent ignored all efforts to slow it, while Voldemort himself blocked their attempts with contempt.

Harry's mind raced through all the spells he knew as he backed through the remains of the fountain, his sneakers becoming soaked as he stepped through the puddles. His fear seemed to be rattling his brain, as no matter what he considered, his mind always returned to his Patronus. He looked backwards to find Neville almost at his side lying against a pile of rubble, still unable to rise or even hold his wand. If he backed up any farther Neville would be defenseless. He turned back towards Voldemort as the snake in front of him reached the edge of the puddle, throwing up a cloud of steam, yet otherwise unaffected by the large pool of water. The Dark Lord was still laughing as Moony and Padfoot tried desperately to slow his advance, to no avail. With no other option Harry raised his wand and cast the only spell he could think of. Prongs burst from the end of his wand, causing the Dark Lord's laughter to change from maniacal to amusement. "Amusing Potter, did you think I could be scared off like a pitiful dementor? The fear you feel is not artificial, nor is it pulled from the recesses of your mind. The fear you feel is real, it is the fear of death, of facing the most powerful wizard the world has ever seen. Do you really think your pitiful Patronus could hurt me? Or did you wish to give your father once last look at his pitiful son before I extinguish your line forever?"

Harry ignored him, focusing instead on the object contained in his front pocket and the potential future it could bring in an attempt to strengthen Prongs as much as possible. He felt the drain on his magic and pushed as much as he could into it. In front of him Prongs grew brighter, until he shone like the moon.

"Impressive Potter, truly impressive," said Voldemort, striding forward in the wake of his fiery construct, "But as I already told you, I am no dementor. However strong your happy little memory, I will crush it, just as I will crush you."

As Prongs stopped growing the drain on his magic lowered and he prepared himself for the second part of his spell. Six months of research and two months of attempts had yet to produce any results, but it was his only shot. It was guardians only shot and he refused to let Moony and Padfoot die, not now, not when he was so close to clearing their names. Holding his happy thought, he allowed himself to concentrate on the water surrounding him, feeling it flowing around his feet, hearing the steady stream spraying from the broken fountain and smelling the moisture in the air. He allowed his senses to drink it in before turning his wand on Prongs, "PATRONUM NATURA INUNDO!"

Moony and Padfoot halted their attack and watched speechlessly as the water throughout the Atrium reversed it's flow, and began running towards the glowing stag. Voldemort's laughter stopped as Prongs grew. Within moments Prongs was eye to eye with the snake. He snorted, pawing the ground and sending silver droplets flying as he waited for his master's command.

Voldemort watched, speechless for a moment at this new development before a snarl washed over his face, "DIE POTTER!" he yelled, apparently tired of his game. His snake snapped forward, attempting to finish Harry before he could react. Prongs however didn't need any urging, leaping into the battle and catching the serpent's neck in his antlers. Harry felt the drain as the two beasts collided, bringing him to his knees. However hard he had pushed his magic earlier, it was _nothing_ compared to how he felt now. He could feel the blood pounding in his ears as he tried to hold on, pushing as much of his magic as he could into Prongs. Yet still his Patronus fell back, forced backwards by the flaming monstrosity. He struggled to maintain his creation, knowing that he wouldn't have a chance to cast another, but no matter how much power he pushed into it, he couldn't hold back the snake. He could feel Prongs wavering, slowly losing his shape as the battle of wills continued.

Just as he was about to break, the pressure let up, allowing Prongs to shove the serpent back. Looking up, Harry saw the cause through the steam as Voldemort held a shield against a barrage. Looking over, Harry saw Moony and Padfoot firing spells faster and harder than they ever had in their life, taking the fight to the Dark Lord. Even as Harry watched, the Voldemort's snake seemed to shrink a little, the intensity of it's flames diminishing as he turned his attention towards the elder Marauder's. Unwilling to let his guardians face him on their own, Harry turned back towards his Patronus as it regained it's form. Aiming his wand at the bastard that had killed his parents, Harry didn't bother with an incantation, "CHARGE!"

Prongs leaped forward, catching Voldemort's serpent unawares. Unable to attack Harry due to the battling leviathans, he was forced to maintain his serpent while simultaneously fighting both Moony and Padfoot. With his attention split between two separate battles, the Marauder's pushed forward, throwing Voldemort back.

Despite his greater skill and knowledge, Voldemort found himself on the defensive. Unable to overcome the stag, he switched his focus to the elder Marauders in an attempt to overpower them. Sensing his inattentiveness, Prongs charged forward, twisting his head at the last moment and catching the snake with the tips of his antlers. All four combatants fell to their knees, throwing their hands over their ears as the serpent let out it's death cry.

Harry stood up slowly as the fiery serpent faded from view. Voldemort glared at him as he too regained his feet, finally showing signs of fatigue. He wasted no time in renewing his attack, "Avada Kedavra!" However he did not account for Prongs intercepting the spell as he charged the dark lord. Harry saw his eyes widen as the Patronus absorbed the killing curse without a hitch. Dark curses rained down on Prongs, littering the ground in sprays of water, but the proud stag continued it's charge. A flash lit up the battle just as Voldemort was forced to leap to the side, directly into the path of one of Padfoot's blasting curses. The dark lord hit the ground hard, but regained his feet quickly, his hand holding his ribs in pain. He raised his wand to retaliate, only to stop as another flash lit the area, a look of surprise crossing his face as he looked to the side.

Harry turned, following his gaze to find that they were no longer alone. Standing on the edge of the battle stood close to two dozen people, led by none other than the Minister of Magic himself, all frozen in shock at the sight of the battle before them. Voldemort sent one last look of hatred at the three Marauder's, before summoning Bellatrix and disappearing with a swirl of his cloak.

Harry watched the spot Voldemort had disappeared from in disbelief. He had survived. They had all survived. But not only had they survived they had _won_. They had forced Voldemort to retreat. Only Dumbledore had ever been able to do that before, but today they had managed it. Prongs turned towards him, giving a slight bow before disappearing, leaving only a puddle in his wake. His relief at their victory was short lived.

"It's Black and Lupin, seize them!" cried the Minister, prompting half a dozen Aurors to advance on the two exhausted Marauder's. Harry couldn't believe it, they had just dueled Voldemort himself in the middle of the Ministry and the Minister was still intent on arresting them. Remus and Sirius quickly began backing away, but it was obvious that they wouldn't be able to put up much of a fight. With Voldemort gone their adrenaline had worn off and the exhaustion and all the wounds they had recieved were taking their toll. Remus was limping noticeably, while Sirius looked like he could barely raise his wand. "Someone go get the Dementors, at the very least we will do something right tonight."

Harry quickly looked around for help and noticed Dumbledore hurrying towards them from the elevators, "Professor Dumbledore, you have to do something, Remus and Sirius are innocent!" he pleaded desperately.

Dumbledore looked down at him, "I'm sorry Mr Potter, but there is nothing I can do," he said sadly. Harry looked at him in shock. He couldn't believe it, Dumbledore knew that they were both innocent, knew they were on his side and yet for some reason he refused to help. He turned back towards the coming fight as the Aurors slowly closed in on his fellow Marauders. They were back to back now as the Aurors had moved to surround them. He looked around, hoping desperately for help but none seemed to be forthcoming. Dumbledore had proven to be useless. Longbottom, while likely to regain his celebrity status was currently being helped to his feet by Granger and didn't look to be in a state to help anyone anytime soon. The only Auror from the Order still on her feet was the young female one, who he was fairly certain was a rookie and didn't have the pull required to slow, let alone halt this.

Seeing the Aurors preparing to make their move Harry ran, moving faster than he had ever moved in his life, "NOBODY MOVE!" he shouted, causing everyone to turn to him in surprise. What they found however surprised them even more as they turned to find a fifteen year old had the Minister on his knees with a knife to his throat and a wand to the back of his head. He continued more calmly, "If any of you make a move the Minister loses his head."

A/N

So, first chapter of a new story, what does everyone think? I kind of came wrote and posted this rather quick, so it may need some editing, but I thought I would gauge the interest before I put a lot of time into something new. I am still working on Midnight's Marauders, but I'm kind of stuck. I've re-written the next two chapters three or four times and still am not quite happy with them, so I thought I'd try something new while I try to work through them.

So anyways, feedback? I'm in the market for a better name for the story. Also looking for Harry's Marauder name. Currently I'm debating between a few things, such as Lightning(or something similar. While he isn't the BWL, he will have a lightning birthmark instead of a scar), Midnight(I like the name, though would prefer not to use it as that will be his nickname in my other story and he has a different form in this one), something along the lines of Swandive(while he isn't on the quidditch team, his death defying dives are a part of him) or Pinions(due to the striking colour of his pinion feathers). So any votes or suggestions on either story name or marauder name would be welcome.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"HARRY NO!" shouted Moony, his face stricken as the Aurors surrounding him turned their wands towards his honorary godson, "We'll find another way out, get yourself out of here!"

Harry shook his head vehemently, "I'm not going anywhere without you two. I've spent two years waiting to clear your names, I'm not going to let them kill you now," he said, inhaling deeply in an attempt to calm his nerves as more than half a dozen wands spun towards him. "All of you back away slowly with your hands in the air," he said, nodding to the corner away from the exit, "NOW!" He swallowed hard as they ignored his command, "Stop now or else!" he shouted, beginning to panic as five Aurors, four that had encircled Moony and Padfoot, and the pink-haired one that had come with Dumbledore moved to surround him instead.

The Auror in charge moved forward slowly, careful not to do anything that might make Harry do something drastic, "Don't do anything stupid kid," he said, "it still isn't too late for you. As long as you don't hurt the Minister we may even be able to keep you out of Azkaban."

Harry quickly suppressed the dread he felt at the thought of being kept in that prison, spending months on end in the presence of the Dementors. Unable to defend himself, trapped as his worst memories replayed themselves over and over. He plastered a grin on his face in an attempt to hide his fear, "Well then, it's just my lucky day, isn't it?" he asked cheerfully. "Lower your wands, let us walk out of here and I'll make sure to return your Minister to you, good as new."

"Not a chance Potter!" Fudge cried, apparently having found his voice at last. "Don't you dare let Black and Lupin out of here Scrimgeour or I'll have your- Ah!" he cut off in pain as Harry kneed him in the back, knocking the wind from him and prompting one of the junior Aurors to fire a spell, forcing him to throw up a shield.

"Hold your fire!" shouted Scrimgeour, attempting to regain control of the situation. "You know we can't do that Potter, Black and Lupin are wanted fugitives. If You-Know-Who is really back we can't let his most trusted followers return to him, can we?"

"No, of course you can't," Harry replied, acting more calmly than he felt. He had barely gotten that shield up in time, he wasn't sure if he could do it again. The only chance he had was to talk his way out of this, "Though I would think nearly two dozen people witnessing him attempt to murder us is pretty good evidence that none of us are Death Eaters."

Scrimgeour's face scrunched up, obviously having overlooked that fact in the commotion caused by the Dark Lord's return, "If Black isn't a Death Eater, then who is responsible for his crimes?" asked Scrimgeour carefully as he considered his claim.

"Oh no, not this ridiculous tale again," Fudge interjected derisively, "Pettigrew is dead Potter. Black is the one responsible for those murders. Black is the one responsible for your parents death. And if You-Know-Who has truly returned, Black is the one responsible for that as well."

"You truly believe that? Despite three eye witnesses claiming otherwise? Despite the fact that you just saw him try to kill us?" Harry demanded angrily, as the entire Atrium watched intently. "Remus and I told you two years ago that Pettigrew was still alive and that he was the one responsible for all of Sirius' crimes. And what did you do with that information? You ignored it!" His attention on Fudge, he didn't notice the looks of alarm as he increased the pressure on the knife pressed to Fudge's neck hard enough to draw a trickle of blood. "You didn't even attempt to find out the real story! Instead you took Snape, a man that hates my godfather more than anything, at his word because if it got out that you had ordered the Dementor's Kiss on an innocent man it would ruin your career. So rather than risk that, you decided Remus had to die, because let's face it, even if the story did get out that you had him killed the wizarding public couldn't care less about the death of one werewolf." Harry turned his attention back towards the crowd as reporters quills flew across their parchment.

Fudge turned his attention to the crowd of reporters he had brought with him,"Was I supposed to take the word of a teenager and a beast over that of a respected Professor?" he demanded, hardly pausing before answering his own question, "No. Black has clouded your mind with his lies and deceit. He is responsible for those deaths, just as he will be responsible for more if we do not stop him now."

"Did he cloud Longbottom's mind as well? He told you last year that not only had Voldemort returned, but that it was Pettigrew, not Sirius, that was responsible. Yet once again you ignored the evidence in favor of burying your head in the sand. You even had the only other witness Kissed to cover up the evidence," Harry looked at the shocked faces surrounding him. Fudge and Dumbledore had obviously done a good job in covering up Crouch's death as it seemed that even the Head Auror seemed to be caught unaware by the information. "Does the Minister now have the authority of judge, jury and executioner?" he asked, directing the question more at those surrounding him than the Minister himself.

"That man was a raving lunatic that confessed to the murder of his own father!" Fudge exclaimed heatedly. Harry grinned as the Minister realized that he had likely just ended his own career by admitting to having a prisoner executed in front of both the press and the Head Auror. Coupled with Voldemort's return the wizarding public would be clamoring for his resignation by lunch tomorrow.

"Does that preclude him from a trial? From being sentenced by his peers?" he asked as the press whispered to each other, "And what of the information he had? He admitted to being responsible for the events that occurred during the Third Task, should he not have been questioned? He could have confirmed Longbottom's accusation that not only had Voldemort returned, but that it was Peter Pettigrew, not Sirius Black that was responsible."

"Pettigrew is dead as he has been for more than fourteen years!" Fudge shouted angrily.

Harry looked down at the Minister in grim satisfaction, pocketing his knife before gesturing to Scrimgeour, "You. Come here," he said motioning her forward, before reaching in to his pocket, "Catch."

He reacted out of instinct, catching the object he threw at her, "What the hell is this?" he demanded.

"Pettigrew," Harry replied simply, causing all those surrounding him to stare at him in a combination of shock, confusion and disbelief. "He's an Animagus," he explained, rolling his eyes as he looked at him skeptically, "See for yourself."

With one more skeptical look, Scrimgeour waved his wand at the rat in his hand, jumping back in surprise as it froze in midair, it's small form twisting madly before resolving into that of a short, grubby man. Not a sound was made in the Atrium as everyone save the three Marauder's was frozen in shock. Even Fudge seemed speechless as he hung his head in defeat.

Sirius was the first to break the silence, "Traitor! I'll kill you, you backstabbing son of a bitch!" he shouted as he moved towards the rat, only to be thrown to the ground and bound by the Auror that had been guarding him. Remus, who had moved to stop him, followed a moment later.

Harry moved to help them out of reflex, only to realize his mistake a moment later as he was quickly disarmed and bound by the surrounding Aurors. He struggled futilely against his bonds for a moment, before falling to his knees in defeat. He could only watch as Fudge got shakily to his feet with the help of one of the Aurors. "Get the Dementors now!" he demanded, pushing the young Auror towards the elevators, "I want all three of them Kissed within the hour!"

"Hold Turner," said Scrimgeour, stopping him before he could head towards the detention cells, "no one is being Kissed here today."

"What do you think you're doing Rufus?" demanded Fudge, "I'll have your job for this!"

"I think you should be more worried about your own job Cornelius," Scrimgeour replied, wearing a smug grin. "In fact, you should be more worried about making sure that you aren't taking their place. Turner, Tonks, arrest the Minister."

Fudge's eyes opened in shock as he too was quickly disarmed and bound, "What do you think you're doing? What is the meaning of this?"

"You just admitted to having a prisoner executed without a trial Fudge. Did you really think we would ignore that?" asked Scrimgeour, a predatory gleam in his eye as he looked at the soon to be former Minister before turning to his Aurors, "Take them down to courtroom ten. The Wizengamot will sort out this mess."

A/N

So what does everyone think? I'm still trying to decide on a Marauder name for Harry, current front-runners are Bolt(due to the birthmark that replaces his scar and the fact that in his Animagus form he dives like a lightning bolt) and Feint (because his dives look like the Wronski Feint and because the first time he met Remus he fainted). I would love to hear everyone's thoughts.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"_Colloportus!_" Hermione gasped, leaning against the door as it sealed itself.

"What – what happened to Ron, Gin and Luna?" asked Neville, his head between his knees as he gasped for breath.

Hermione looked around. Ron, Ginny and Luna had been ahead of them, they should have been waiting in this room, but the two of them were alone. "They must have taken a wrong turn," she whispered, unable to hide the terror in her voice as she contemplated the danger her friends were now in.

"Bloody hell..." Neville cursed, "We need to go back for them," he said, moving to undo the locking spell she had placed on the door, but Hermione cut him off as she heard a commotion on the other side.

"Shh, listen," she hissed.

Footsteps and shouts echoed from behind the door. "Split into groups and search! The prophecy is our first concern, do nothing that could risk it. Longbottom belongs to the Dark Lord, but you may kill the others if you wish. Bellatrix, Rodolphus, Rabastan go left – Pettigrew, Jugson and Dolohov straight, Macnair, Avery and Nott head over there – Mulciber, Rookwood with me!"

Hermione pulled her ear from the door, "What do we do?" she asked quietly, unable to hide the tremor in her voice.

"We get the bloody hell out of here," Neville hissed back at her, before he grabbed her by an elbow and began running as quickly as possible for the nearest exit. They had almost reached it when something large collided with the door she had charmed shut.

"Out of the way Jugson," said a deep voice with a heavy accent. "_Bombarda!_"

Hermione and Neville dove under a nearby desk as the door exploded inwards. Hermione held her breath as three sets of Death Eater feet moved in their direction.

"They must have run straight through the hall," said one voice.

"No, they're probably hiding," argued a second.

"Check under the desks," came the order from the one with the accent, "but make it quick. We can't allow Longbottom to escape with the Prophecy."

Hermione could see the feet of one of the Death Eaters approaching. While she didn't like the odds of the two of them going against three adults, it didn't look like they would have much of a choice in the matter. She looked at Neville, who nodded in agreement. Poking her wand out from under the desk, she took careful aim, hoping to even the odds, but someone else cast a spell before she was able to.

"_Bombarda!_" came the cry from a fourth voice, giving only a moments notice before the desk shook under the force of the spell, knocking her and Neville to the ground. They quickly jumped to their feet, unwilling to allow themselves to be captured without a proper fight. Preparing herself for the worst, Hermione popped out from the side of the desk with a spell on her lips, only for that spell to die as she froze in surprise. Rather than four Death Eaters raining down spells on the two of them or their friends having come to their rescue she had popped up to find two Death Eaters locked in a duel with Harry Potter of all people. She looked around for the third Death Eater, only to find him laying in a heap, limbs pointed in odd directions.

She broke from her trance as she heard Neville shout a spell from her side, joining the fight and taking some of the attention off their outmatched classmate. "_Stupefy!_" she shouted, deciding to wonder where Potter had come from later and joining Neville as they tried to overwhelm their opponent before his partner could finish off theirs. Back and forth they traded spells, causing Hermione to worry as they were unable to push through his defenses. She risked a quick glance over to where Potter was dueling the other Death Eater just in time to see him dodge a Killing Curse. She swallowed hard before re-doubling her efforts. She and Neville had been two of the best duelists in the DA, if the two of them couldn't overwhelm this single Death Eater, she wasn't sure how long Potter would be able to last.

"_Impedimenta!_" came the curse from the Death Eater, forcing her to duck back behind the desk. Neville on the other hand wasn't so lucky as he was knocked backwards off his feet, smashing hard into the bookshelf behind him. Despite the urge to rush over and check on him, Hermione forced herself to ignore her injured friend. "_Accio Proph –_ "

"_Silencio!_" she shouted as she came back out from behind the desk, catching her masked assailant off guard as he tried to summon the prophecy from Neville. She smirked at him before turning to help her fallen friend. She realized her mistake almost immediately as she noticed a streak of purple flying towards her out of the corner of her eye. With no time to raise a shield she watched helplessly as the purple flame flew towards her, only to be blocked at the last possible instant as a shield materialized in front of her. A moment later her attacker was soaring through the air, coming to a halt as he met the stone wall.

She felt an hand grab her arm as Potter moved into her field of vision, glasses askew and a small trail of blood running down his cheek, but otherwise unharmed, "Granger, come on, we need to go! Granger! GRANGER!"

OoOoO

"Granger!" Hermione was torn from her flashback with a start. Looking around she noticed that the compartment was open and standing there was Ernie MacMillan, one of the Hufflepuff prefects.

She looked around the compartment noticing that everyone except Luna, who was busy reading this month's copy of the Quibbler, was looking at her funny, even Ron who was still in the process of rubbing the sleep from his eyes, "Sorry about that, I was just... thinking," she said after a short pause.

Ron snorted loudly, causing Ernie to look at him in disgust, "Blimey, must have been some interesting thoughts," he said, "The prat managed to wake me up before he got your attention."

Hermione looked at the Hufflepuff, who seemed to be trying to burn a hole through Ron with his eyes. Ron however seemed oblivious and after a few moments Ernie gave up. "I have invitations for you Granger and one for Longbottom as well," he said, holding up three scrolls of parchment, before handing one each to her and Neville.

Surprised and confused, Hermione unrolled hers.

_Ms. Granger,_

_I would be delighted if you would join me for a bite of lunch in compartment C at 1 o'clock._

_Sincerely,_

_Professor H. E. F. Slughorn_

"Who's Professor Slughorn?" asked Ginny, looking perplexedly at Neville's invitation over his shoulder, "And what does he want with you two?"

"Slughorn's the new teacher that Dumbledore took me to recruit," Neville explained, "but I'm not sure what he wants with us."

"I would assume that he probably wants the same thing he wants with the rest of us," Ernie said, puffing out his chest more than usual. "He sent out invitations to a number of the more influential students."

Ginny sat up, leaning forward from her spot beside Neville in an attempt to read the name on the remaining invitation, "So who's the last invitation for?" she asked curiously.

"This one is for Potter," he said, causing Ron to frown in jealousy, "but I've already been up and down the train and I can't find him. I was hoping he would be here with the rest of the Six," replied Ernie, looking around as if expecting Harry Potter to pop out of one of the seat cushions.

"The Six?" Neville asked confusedly.

"That's the name the Daily Prophet has been calling us," replied Luna, finally having been disrupted from her reading, "all six students that went with you to the Ministry. The Ministry Six."

"Then shouldn't we be the Ministry Five? Potter didn't come with us, he showed up on his own," Ron said bitterly, causing Hermione to sigh in exasperation. Every time Potter had come up in conversation over the summer Ron had become dour and irritable, his inferiority complex having no doubt found a new target since the photo of Potter's stag charging Voldemort had adorned the front of the Prophet. The new rumors popping up certainly hadn't helped, as stories ranging from Potter and his guardians being heroes that would defeat Voldemort once and for all, to it all being an elaborate hoax meant to clear Black kept them in the paper every other day.

Deciding to ignore Ron until they were alone, Hermione turned her attention back towards the Hufflepuff, "We haven't seen him Ernie, but my patrol is coming up. I could deliver his invitation for you," she offered, causing Ron's scowl to deepen.

"Thank you Hermione," he said, handing her the third scroll, "I hope to see you there. My father told me about Slughorn and suffice it to say, it would be very beneficial for both you and Longbottom to attend."

Ron waited until Ernie had left before snorting loudly, "Pompous prat. Suffice it to say he should remove the stick from his arse," he said, chuckling at his own joke. "As if any of us actually want to go spend time with some stuffy old professor, right Nev?"

Neville shrugged slightly and avoided looking at the redhead, "I think I have to," he said uncomfortably, "Dumbledore wanted me to get close to him. Apparently he has some important information."

Ron scowled for just a moment before it vanished, "Well I guess you have to go if Dumbledore needs you. It's too bad you'll miss our lunch though, I bet Slughorn serves liver and onions or something. Yuck."

Hermione shook her head in exasperation, "Ron, I don't think candy and snack cakes can be considered lunch," she said disapprovingly. Even after five years she had yet to convince him that candy was supposed to be eaten in moderation, instead having to watch as he ordered some of almost everything on the snack cart.

Ron rolled his eyes at her, "You won't be saying that when we're making our way through half the snack cart."

"What makes you think that I won't be going with Neville?" she asked.

He looked at her as if she had lost her mind, "Why would you want to do that?" he demanded.

"Because it's a fantastic opportunity. I asked a few of the Order members about Slughorn after Neville mentioned Dumbledore recruiting him to teach this year and they all said that he was a master of networking. His club could open up all sorts of doors for the future," she explained, watching Ron's face darken at every word.

"Fine, you two go rub elbows with all the other pompous gits, see if I care," he said bitterly, "And don't forget Potter, that is if he doesn't ignore you again."

She sighed, "This again? He was in hiding. Professor Dumbledore couldn't contact him, Black or Professor Lupin all summer. Why do you think he would respond to us and not Dumbledore?" she asked, "It isn't like he was purposefully sending our letters back unopened, he probably wasn't even getting them."

"Of course he didn't get them, he's much too important to read mail from us," Ron said mockingly, "he survives a fight with You-Know-Who for all of five seconds and he thinks he's Merlin's gift to wizarding kind."

Hermione opened her mouth to argue with him, but decided against it. Trying to make Ron see reason when he was in one of his moods was like hitting your head against a stone wall, you were likely to end up with a headache. Instead she left their compartment, deciding to start her Prefect rounds a few minutes early. If she was lucky she would find Potter quickly, giving her a chance to question him a little before they left for Slughorn's lunch.

Everything was going smoothly, which was why she wasn't surprised by the shouting she heard as soon as she opened the door to the final train car. She recognized Malfoy's voice immediately, shouting from an open compartment halfway down the cab, "What are you going to do Potter? There's no one to help you here and no room for your stupid deer. Maybe we'll rough you up a bit, teach others what happens to those that pick the wrong side."

Hermione picked up her pace, drawing her wand as she hurried towards the compartment in the hope that she could stop Malfoy before things got out of hand. She had almost reached it when something flew out of the door, smashing into the wall in front of her, before falling to the ground. She had just enough time to register blonde hair before two more crashes dented the wall in front of her as Malfoy's lackeys slammed into it. A moment later Potter walked calmly from the compartment, grabbing Malfoy by the collar and lifting him to his feet before jamming his wand into his throat. Hermione watched in shock as he somehow managed to tower over Malfoy, despite being at least three inches shorter, "Pull your wand on me again and I won't be so polite," he threatened, before shoving the Slytherin down the hall as students began poking their heads out of their compartments to see what all the commotion was about.

The blonde stumbled, catching himself on the wall before turning and glaring at the raven haired Gryffindor, "I want my wand back Potter," he demanded, gritting his teeth in anger.

She turned towards Harry, who she now noticed was twirling a second wand in his other hand, "Now why would I want to do something like that?" he asked casually. Malfoy made a move towards it, only to stop short as he found Potter's wand aimed directly between his eyes, "I wouldn't do that if I were you," he said quietly, causing Malfoy to go pale.

"You'll pay for this Potter," Malfoy said as he backed up slowly, "when my father – " he cut off as a jet of sparks left the Gryffindors wand, just missing his face.

"Oh, I didn't realize they let prisoners out of Azkaban for parent-teacher conferences," Potter replied tauntingly, "Or is he going to send me a letter asking me to stop picking on his Ickle Drakie?"

Malfoy glared at him for a moment, but was quickly distracted by the sound of laughter. Looking over his shoulder, Malfoy finally noticed the mass of students peering out of their compartments watching the confrontation. With one last glare he left, spouting off threats over his shoulder as he headed for the exit and leaving his goons to fend for themselves. Potter just watched him go with a slight smirk on his face before returning to his compartment, ignoring the trained gorillas laying in a heap just outside the door.

Hermione stared at the closed door for a moment, before remembering why she was at that end of the train in the first place. Pulling the scroll of parchment from her pocket, she took a deep breath and opened the door. Inside she was surprised to find Potter by himself, handing Malfoy's wand to a snow-white owl, " – drop it off during breakfast Hedwig. Aim for his porridge or something, you know make a bit of a mess," he said, to which the owl hooted happily in reply and gave his finger an affectionate nip, before leaping out the window. "Something I can help you with Granger?" he asked, nonchalantly stretching out across one side of the compartment, acting as if he hadn't just blasted three of his classmates into the wall and given one of their wands to his owl.

Hermione stared at her classmate. Was this really the Harry Potter that she had known for the last five years? The Harry she remembered had been quiet, nervous and a little awkward, yet she saw none of those things in the boy in front of her. "No. Yes," she cursed under her breath as he watched her in amusement, "I mean I have something for you," she said, handing him the invitation.

He took the invitation from her, "Wow, old Sluggy is trying to recruit me? Who would have thought being arrested could have such a positive influence on my reputation?" he asked with a grin as he read it. She couldn't help but smile a little bit at his devil-may-care attitude. Harry had always been a nice guy, it was good to see that after five years he was finally breaking out of his shell.

"You fought V-Voldemort," she winced as she stumbled over the name, "and lived to tell about it. Professor Slughorn is probably just curious about you. So is everyone else for that matter," she said, hoping he would take the hint. The Order had spent a lot of time and energy looking for Black and Lupin despite the Prophet's claims that the three of them were Death Eaters, but all they had found were hints. Death Eaters bound and tied, waiting for the Aurors to arrive. A side window at Emmeline Vance's house being blown in a full minute before the anti-apparition wards that would have prevented her escape were put in place. The anti-apparition wards around Bones Manor failing, allowing Madam Bones and her niece to escape just as Voldemort broke through the front door. The Order had a number of different theories, but after their sudden appearance at the Ministry, Hermione's bet was on the boy in front of her and his mysterious guardians.

"You too I take it?" Harry asked knowingly, "Wondering whether or not our fight with Snakeface was just some sort of clever ruse?"

Hermione shrugged, attempting to act casually, "Even if you told me I'm not sure I should believe you. It wouldn't be a very clever ruse if you went around telling people about it," she said. She didn't really believe he was in league with Voldemort, he had saved her life after all, but she hoped that he would try to convince her. If she could prove that Potter, Black and Lupin were on their side, maybe the Order would begin taking her seriously for a change.

"I suppose not," he replied with a laugh. "though I don't see Voldie allowing Sirius to blast him across the Ministry Atrium in front of witnesses just to clear his name."

Hermione agreed with his assessment, but it wasn't exactly conclusive proof, "I assume Voldemort would do anything if it furthered his plans. You could secretly be one of his followers just waiting to strike," she said, hoping to push him into defending himself.

The hurt look she received in reply almost made her regret her decision, but it was quickly replaced by the same self-confident smirk that he had worn since she had entered the compartment. "Me? Nah, I have a mind of my own, I don't think I'd make a very good lackey. Besides, I'm only a poor little Halfblood, I'm hardly worthy of shining their shoes."

"What about Black and Professor Lupin?" she asked, pushing a little harder, ignoring the little part of her nagging that maybe she was going too far, "They're both purebloods, Lupin is even a werewolf."

Apparently she that little part of her was right as Harry snorted humorlessly, giving her a look of disgust that made her feel about two inches tall, "Is that what the Order has been saying?" he asked heatedly, "That Sirius comes from a dark family and Remus is a werewolf, so they must be evil?"

"No of course not," Hermione assured him, quickly backtracking. She silently cursed herself for not thinking of how Harry might react to her accusing his recently exonerated guardians. She knew he didn't have a family, having spent his summers in an orphanage ever since second year when he had been brought to school a week late after almost being starved to death by his Aunt and Uncle. The fact that Black and Lupin had obviously remained in contact with him while they had been on the run should have been an indication that they cared for one another, something Harry had obviously been missing in his life. As far as he was concerned, accusing them was probably worse than accusing him. "I didn't mean to suggest that they followed You-Know – Voldemort, it's just... all the rumors that have popped up since you disappeared..."

"Of course, wizarding logic, we disappeared so we must have something to hide," Harry said, shaking his head in disgust, "completely ignoring the fact that maybe we hid because the most powerful sociopath in centuries just put us at the top of his hit list for exposing him."

"If you needed to hide, you should have gone to Dumbledore for help. He's been trying to contact you three all summer so you could join the Order" she offered. From what little she had heard about the Order meetings Dumbledore had spent a lot of effort trying to bring them into the fold. If she could convince them to join, maybe the Order would see how useful she could be and stop treating her like a child.

"Thanks, but no thanks," he said with a short laugh, her offer apparently amusing enough to make him forget her earlier misstep, "Remus, Sirius and I have zero intention of joining Dumbles little vigilante group."

"Why not?" Hermione asked, puzzled by his quick refusal. If there was anyone that could hide them from Voldemort, surely it was Dumbledore.

"We actually plan on fighting back," he said flippantly, "not just dropping in to our secret clubhouse every once in a while to report that we just watched the Death Eaters murder another couple dozen Muggles."

Hermione stared at him, shocked that he could be so casual while insulting people that were risking their lives to protect the wizarding world, "Excuse me," she replied indignantly, "but the Order fights back, if it hadn't been for the Order Voldemort would still be in hiding, waiting to strike from the shadows."

"And if it wasn't for Remus, Sirius and I, Voldemort would not only still be in hiding, but most of you would be dead and he would have the Prophecy." She considered arguing for a moment, but decided he had a point. After all it had been Potter that had taken out all three of the Death Eaters that had followed them out of the Prophecy room, Professor Lupin had saved stop Ron, Ginny and Luna, and Black had arrived just in time to save Tonks from her aunt. "So try again," he said cockily, "has the Order actually had any successful missions?"

Hermione thought hard for a minute before she shook her head, "No I suppose not. Hagrid and Madam Maxine went to speak with the giants, but after the attack last week I assume they must not have gone well. They sent someone to the werewolves as well but – Wait!" she cut off abruptly, suddenly realizing that he was doing exactly what she had been trying to do to him, gathering information. She had been so focused on trying to get him to let something slip, that she hadn't realized he was doing the same, "I shouldn't be telling you this," she exclaimed angrily, "You tricked me!"

Harry grinned widely, "Oh come on Granger, don't be mad. You were trying to do the same thing to me." She opened her mouth to protest, but closed it as he raised an eyebrow knowingly. Instead she hung her head in shame. She couldn't believe she had just given up the little she knew of the Order's movements, he hadn't even needed to force it out of her. Maybe they were right not to trust her any more than they did.

"Aww Granger, come on don't be sad either, that's even worse. It's not like you told me anything I didn't already know," he said trying to cheer her up. While it did make her feel better about the information she had just given away, it didn't help with the fact that she had just proven to herself that she couldn't be trusted. Seeming to sense this Harry sighed deeply, "I'll tell you what, if you do something for me I'll answer one question."

Hermione looked up in surprise at his offer, "Really?"

He nodded in response, "Sure, but if you ask where Sirius and Remus are I'll call Hedwig back and give her another wand to play with."

She watched him carefully, unsure whether or not his threat was real, "What exactly do I have to do?". While she desperately wanted to know whether his guardians were involved in thwarting those Death Eater attacks, she wasn't about to allow him to trick her again.

Harry however just seemed amused by her suspicions, "It's very simple," he said cheerfully, "all you have to do is say the phrase 'Harry Potter outsmarted me' out loud."

She blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the simplicity of his request, "Why?"

"You're the brightest witch in the school," he explained with a shrug, "outsmarting you is an achievement. Having you admit it will just make it better."

She watched him closely looking for any signs of deception, but found none. She knew this should be an easy decision, gaining some valuable information in exchange for a small admission, but she absolutely hated it when someone beat her at anything. Admitting it would be painful. Still if he would answer her question about his guardians... "Harry Potter outsmarted me," she grumbled quietly, deciding to get it over with quickly.

Harry however had no such desire, "What was that?" he asked, cupping his left hand over his ear, "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that over the sound of the fly in the corner."

Vowing to make him pay for this, Hermione closed her eyes and clenched her fists, "I said, HARRY POTTER OUTSMARTED ME!" Her eyes flew open in surprise as her voice reverberated off the compartment walls. Her eyes darted from his face to his hand, a hand that currently held a wand pointed at her. She quickly put two and two together, coming to the conclusion that he had used an amplifying charm on her.

Hermione felt her face go red, whether from anger or embarrassment she wasn't sure, "You – you prat!" she exclaimed furiously as Harry bent over laughing, his elbows on his knees the only things keeping him from falling to the ground. Hands clenched so tightly she could feel her nails digging into the palm of her hands, she considered hexing the git to teach him a lesson. Deciding he wasn't worth it however, she turned to leave.

"Hang on Granger," he said in between gasps of air, "don't go yet. You have to ask your question." She watched as he slowly brought himself back under control, "Come on," he said, gesturing for her to begin, "before I change my mind."

While she briefly contemplated walking away, her curiosity quickly overcame that urge, "Are Lupin and Black responsible for saving Madam Bones and Emmeline Vance?"

Amusement still shone in his eyes as Harry responded, "Of course it was us," he said as if it should be obvious, "who else would it be?"

Hermione smiled, satisfied that at the very least she had determined that her assumption was right, when what he said hit her, "Wait, us?" she asked, "You were there too?"

"Sorry Granger, one question only," he said, smirking irritatingly at her. She opened her mouth to try to convince him that it was still part of her first question, but he interrupted her, "Would you look at the time, Sluggy's meeting is about to start, shouldn't be late for that," he said, hurrying her out of the compartment.

She stopped as he made no move to follow her out, "Aren't you coming?"

"Of course, just need to grab a robe from my trunk," he said, giving her a quick grin before slamming the compartment door shut and closing the blinds.

Hermione leaned against the wall, idly twirling a strand of hair around her finger, contemplating her mysterious classmate as she waited. One thing was for certain, if the little she had seen was anything to go by then Potter had definitely been hiding more than a little the past few years. Luckily she would have some time to see just how much he had been hiding from everyone.

After a few minutes she got sick of waiting, "Potter, what's taking so long?" she asked, rapping her knuckles on the door. Frowning at the lack of response, she slid the door open to find the compartment exactly as it had been when she had left with one small exception; Potter was nowhere to be seen. With nowhere for him to hide she stuck her head out the window, unsurprisingly finding no sign of him. Slamming the window she noticed a small scrap of parchment flutter to the floor, disturbed by the sudden gust.

_Granger_

_Sorry to run out on you, but something came up. I have to go – _

There was a large gap in the writing with several words crossed out, the few she could make out seemed to be lame excuses ranging from visiting his sick grandmother, who she was fairly certain didn't exist, to taking his owl for a walk.

– _Okay cards on the table, excuses aren't my thing, I just have better things to do be fawned over some fat old guy like some trophy. Be a mate and make something up for me, preferably something good like saving children from a burning building. Actually you can just use that one if you like. Anyways you're probably getting sick of waiting outside, so I should probably take off before you burst in here and try to drag me along to the congregation of the conceited assholes. _

_XOXO_

_-HP_

Sighing in disappointment she crumpled up the note, throwing it in the bin before leaving to look for Neville so they could go be fawned over like a pair of trophies.

A/N

So I _finally_ finished chapter 3, and would you look at that, it's longer than the first two combined. The first thing you all might notice is that I removed Remus and Sirius from the main characters list. This is mostly because a lot of this story is going to be happening at Hogwarts and therefore, while they will be mentioned a lot and play important roles, they won't be 'on screen' all that often.

I made a lot of odd choices while writing this chapter, so I hope you'll bear with me. The first one is skipping the summer. The reason for this is simple; it was boring. Sure, there was the trial, but it went pretty much the same way as hundreds of other people have written it. Pettigrew and Padfoot are both given Veritaserum, clearing Padfoot's (and by extension Moony's) name and Harry is let off on extenuating circumstances. While they did also help Madam Bones and Emmeline escape, there really wasn't a whole lot to either situation (especially Emmeline, which was literally as simple as blowing out her window so that she would run). For the most part Harry spent his summer practicing his dueling skills and reading ahead for the new school year, while Moony and especially Padfoot recovered from their years on the run. The second is using Hermione's POV. I have two reasons for this, one she's is the second main character so it's important to see things from her perspective and secondly it allows me to keep Harry a little mysterious. I hope I did a decent job of conveying her POV.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Harry rounded the corner quickly as he attempted to dodge his pursuers. Three days now they had been playing this game of cat and mouse, but already it seemed like a lifetime. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that he had lost them for the moment and quickly ducked under a tapestry, taking refuge in the passage hidden behind. Not a moment too soon, he thought to himself as the sound pursuit rounded the corner behind him. He held his breath as the tapping of numerous pairs of feet raced past him, increasing their pace as they realized they had once again lost track of their prey.

He waited until the last set of footsteps had faded from hearing before leaning back against the stone wall and letting out a sigh of relief. Only three days at school and he was already looking over his shoulder at every turn, going out of his way to make sure he had a secret passage nearby just in case he had to make a sudden getaway. After five years of virtual anonymity it was enough to drive him mad. It had gotten to the point where he had considered using his Cloak to get from class to class, the only thing preventing him from doing it was the need to keep it secret. He didn't want to risk anyone finding out about it and with people watching his every move it wasn't worth the risk. Pushing off the wall he sighed once again, this time in exasperation as he began plotting the long winding route he would have to take to his next class to avoid being seen.

He had only just begun when he felt his pocket vibrate. Extracting the small mirror from his pocket he brought it up to his face, "What?" he growled at the image of his godfather that stared back at him.

Sirius was taken aback for only a moment before a playful grin crossed his face, "What's the matter pup, someone steal your favorite toy?"

Harry shook his head, "No, I was just –" he cut off as he realized that he was about to tell Sirius of all people that he had been forced to hide from a pack of teenage girls, " – in the middle of my morning run," he winced as soon as the lie was out of his mouth but pressed on in hopes that his godfather would ignore it, "what's up?"

Never one to pass up a chance at tormenting his godson, Sirius grinned at him through the mirror, "Taken up jogging pup?"

Harry debated trying to run with his lie, but ultimately decided against it, "If you take your time getting to the point I might have to," he replied snarkily, "I'm going to be late for class."

Sirius looked like he was about to try pestering him to find out what he was hiding, but luckily Remus snatched the mirror from his hand, "Sorry pup, but Padfoot had trouble remembering class times when he was a student," he said, jerking the mirror away as Sirius tried to take it back, "expecting him to remember them now is setting yourself up for disappointment." There was another scuffle and Sirius' head pushed into the frame beside Remus. After a few seconds struggle Remus gave up, deciding to allow the other Marauder to have his way as long as he retained control of the mirror, "We just wanted to make sure we were still on for tonight."

Harry nodded, "Of course, I'll see you guys sometime after midnight. But I got to go or I'm really going to be late for Transfiguration."

"Alright pup, have a good day," Remus said with a wave, "we'll see you later."

"You know, one day you two will need to stop calling me pup," he said with a smile despite the inaccuracy of the term. Moony and Padfoot still hadn't fully gotten over the fact that he wouldn't be joining them in the canine club.

"You won't understand until you're older," Remus replied, "but whatever you become, part of us will always see you as our little pup."

"Thanks Moony that means a lot," he said, barely able to contain the tremor in his voice. While Remus and Sirius had done everything they could for him since he had met them, it still sometimes felt strange to have adults that genuinely cared for him. "I should really get going though, I'll see you guys tonight."

"Bye pup," Sirius replied grabbing hold of the mirror, "say hi to Minnie for us and be sure not to go 'jogging' every time a cute girl tries to talk to you. Just because you aren't a pup doesn't mean we can't have a pupette– " he was cut off, the image disconnecting as Remus once again tried to wrestle the mirror away from him.

Harry shook his head in amusement at the antics of his guardians as he slid his mirror back into his pocket. Somehow Sirius always knew when he was having girl troubles and never hesitated to give him a push in what he considered to be the right direction. Looking down at his watch, Harry's train of thought was broken as he realized he had less than two minutes to make it across the castle and down two floors.

With no time to spare he took off full speed down the passage, not even slowing as he reached the end. He burst into the next hallway, almost barreling over a group of first years awed by the fact that he had just emerged from a seemingly solid wall, and headed for the stairwell, taking the steps three at a time. Hitting the bottom he made a right, coming to a halt at a portrait of a pair of beautiful women. Not even looking at the painting, he quickly ran his hand along the bottom of the frame before racing through the newly revealed opening. He ran as fast as he could, his shoulders nearly brushing the sides of the narrow passage until he reached the end, coming out at the top of another staircase. He quickly reached the bottom and took his first left, the Transfiguration classroom coming into view. Seeing McGonagall about to close the door he put on a last burst of speed, just managing to slide through before it closed with a loud click.

He immediately noticed everyone turn towards him, "Nice of you to join us Mr Potter," his Head of House said coolly, before pointing at the last remaining empty spot in the room, "if you would take your seat, perhaps we can begin." He nodded, too out of breath to respond and headed towards his seat. Turning towards the rest of the students, McGonagall began teaching, "Good morning class and welcome – " Harry tuned her out as she began her NEWT level course introduction, informing them of her expectations and the need to keep up with classwork. He couldn't help but feel bored as she went over her syllabus for the year, emphasizing that non-verbal casting would become an important part of the curriculum after the first few weeks.

He sighed quietly, once again cursing Moony and Padfoot for forcing him to return to Hogwarts. Despite weeks of arguing that he already knew most of the material for the courses he would be taking and that going would be a waste of time they had insisted, maintaining that it would be good for him to spend some time with people his own age. He had argued that he had already spent five years with people his own age and it hadn't done any good, but they just said things changed and that it wasn't healthy for a teenage wizard to spend all his time with his guardians. Personally he thought they were just cowards, afraid of what his mother might do to them, even from beyond the grave, if they allowed him to drop out of school.

" – now if you will all select a partner, we will begin today's lesson," Harry was jolted out of his daydreams as his classmates began pairing up. He looked down at his watch, eyes opening in surprise as he realized they were nearly finished the first half of their double period.

"Do you want to work together Harry?" he looked up to find Hermione turned in her seat, watching him expectantly.

Harry looked around the room, looking for a way out. It wasn't that he didn't like Granger, in fact out of all of his housemates she was the only one he could stand for any extended period of time, but the hopeful look she was giving him made him wary. "Sure," he said after a moment, resigning himself to his upcoming interrogation. While a few others had been looking at him as if hoping he might ask them instead, he chose Granger as the lesser of all evils. He had no desire to deal with Parvati's senseless gossip and while the Slytherin girl leering at him was definitely cute, the fact that he didn't know her name was enough proof that she was probably only interested in him for his new found fame. Bones had briefly been an option, but she had blushed and looked away the moment he noticed her, pairing up with the blonde beside her instead.

He stood up and pulled his chair over to her desk, "So, what are we working on?" he asked curiously.

"Were you not listening?" she asked, seemingly torn between shock and dismay, "We're working on human transfiguration, we're supposed to grow fur from each others hand. I don't know if I feel comfortable – "

"It's alright Granger, I was messing with you," he lied, not wanting the detention or extra work that would come with McGonagall finding out that he had zoned out her entire lecture, "Come on, you can go first."

She looked at him uncertainly, obviously not convinced, but ultimately decided that he was telling the truth. "_Humanus Vellus_," she said, flicking her wand before spinning it in a circle. Harry felt the magic wash over his hand, but nothing happened. Hermione looked at it in disappointment, even going so far as to rub her hand across the back of his to make sure the hairs didn't happen to be invisible. "Your turn," she said, dissatisfied that she hadn't managed the spell on her first try.

"No, it's fine you try again," he said, doing his best to hide his grin as he came up with an idea. If he played this right not only would he be able to distract her from any questions she might ask, but he would get a laugh out of it as well.

"Are you sure?" she asked uncertainly, not wanting to monopolize all of their time.

He nodded, "Of course," he said reassuring her, "I'm pretty sure I felt something. You'll probably get it in a few more tries and then I'll have more time to get it down before the end of class."

Never one to turn down extra practice time Hermione quickly accepted and began trying the spell again. Harry felt the magic wash over his hand, each time a little bit closer to forming. Finally, after at least a dozen attempts he felt the magic washing over his hand begin to snap into effect. Acting quickly he channeled his own magic through his hand, pushing out the foreign magic as it went. He saw the look of accomplishment flash across her face for just a moment before it was replaced by a look of disappointment. "Feathers?" she asked as she picked up his hand to get a closer look at the black feathers covering his left hand, "How did you end up with feathers?"

Harry pulled his hand back, "That's so cool," he said, making a show of looking at his hand as if in awe before thrusting it back in her direction, "try changing it back." She tried to remove the feathers from his hand, but was unable, due to the fact that he had grown them himself. He allowed her to try a few more times before changing his hand back to normal.

She paused before trying again, "Are you sure you don't want to try?"

"It's fine, we still have a lot of time," he said nodding in response, "besides, you're so close."

She smiled at him before continuing her practice. Harry really had to give it to her, as this time it only took five tries before he needed to transform his hand. Triumph once again flashed briefly across her face, before quickly being replaced by annoyance. This time she didn't check with him before she began attempting to transfiguring his hand, a look of determination across her face. Time and again she attempted to grow fur from his hand, her determination only growing as a few other students managed to complete the assignment. She continued until she was interrupted by Professor McGonagall, "Ms Granger, while I applaud your perseverance, it would be nice if Mr Potter were given a chance to at least attempt the spell before the end of class."

Hermione looked towards the clock with a start, realizing there was only a few minutes left in class, "I'm so sorry Professor," she said, "I didn't realize how much time had passed."

"Maybe you should be apologizing to Mr Potter for monopolizing his time," McGonagall said sternly.

"It's alright Professor, I insisted," he admitted, feeling somewhat guilty that it was his fault that Granger was currently being chastised by her role model, "she almost had it and I thought that I might as well give her a few extra chances to get it right."

The strict professor turned to him, "Really Mr Potter?" she asked, to which he nodded hesitantly in reply, "I don't believe I've seen you attempt the spell once."

Harry winced at her tone, "Well, it started out as a few extra tries and then – "

"Mr Potter, I think you will find it very difficult to succeed in my class if you are not prepared," she interrupted sternly, coming to the conclusion that he had allowed Granger to practice to cover that fact that he was unprepared. "In fact, as I said in my speech that you no doubt did not listen too, that if you do not prepare for my class that you will no longer be in my class."

"But I am prepared Professor," he replied, "I just – "

"Then you will have no problem demonstrating to me," she said placing her hands on her hips as she watched him expectantly. He nodded thankfully at Hermione as she silently offered her hand to him, as he considered his options. He didn't think she would accept an excuse so he had the option of performing the spell properly, drawing more attention that he didn't want or he intentionally flubbing the spell and risk getting detention.

Harry sighed in exasperation before deciding that he would prefer the attention to the detention, "_Humanus Vellus_," he said, flicking his wand before giving it a small clockwise spin. He had to hold back his laughter as both women looked down in shock at the curly brown fur covering Granger's hand. His urge to laugh quickly died as they turned their attention towards him, "Oh, would you look at that," he said acting surprised, "I got it on my first try."

Both women seemed to be momentarily speechless, though he doubted that it would last. Luckily he didn't have to find out as the bell rang, signifying the end of class. "Great class Professor," he said, sweeping his belongings into his open bag with a single movement, "can't wait till next week." He threw his bag over his shoulder and bolted from the class. He could faintly hear McGonagall calling after him as he weaved past his classmates, but by the time she thought to follow him he was already long gone.


End file.
